Elizabeth Harper

Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

BlizzCon 2009: Day one round-up

The news coming from BlizzCon has been fast and furious -- and we can hardly blame you if you haven't been able to keep up with the announcements coming from Anaheim so far. WORLD OF WARCRAFT: A little expansion by the name of Cataclysm was officially announced, with a world of pain now on its way to classic Azeroth and two new races. So what's new in Azeroth? Two new races, Goblins and Worgen (Horde and Alliance respectively), the reordering and rezoning of much of Azeroth, an array of new race/class possibilities, a brand-new secondary skill, and some shake-ups in class mechanics and character/guild advancement. DIABLO 3: Meet the Monk, the game's latest class and -- so the trailer suggests -- a kick-ass martial artist. Also, surprise surprise, the game may still be coming to a console near you. BATTLE.NET: Battle.net will gain new features in the expansion, including an Xbox-Livesque ability to see what your friends are playing and which servers they're on, in addition to sending messages to them. PICTURES: Here's a map of the reordered post-Cataclysm Azeroth, a gallery of the art display at BlizzCon (containing some Cataclysm art, employee-decorated noobz, and StarCraft and Diablo universe pieces), a dedicated gallery for Cataclysm concept art, and a gallery of the costumes at BlizzCon. VIDEOS: We have video for you of the Cataclysm trailer, what Azeroth zones will look like post-Cataclysm, and the animation for Human-to-Worgen transformation. THE GUILD: The entire cast showed up and brought the funny at their live panel and at our reader meet-up. Gallery here! %Gallery-70671%

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

BlizzCon, day one

Were you one of the many who didn't have the opportunity to make it out to Blizzneyland... er, we mean BlizzCon, of course... this year? Never fear, because Joystiq is on-hand to tell you exactly what's happening on the show floor. Enjoy BlizzCon from the comfort of your desk chair, away from the lines and the crowds and the delicious Diablo 3 gameplay... but we digress. On with the show. See our live coverage of: The convention floor, full of all sorts of shiny temptations for your inner fanboy (or girl). The uneventful opening ceremonies. I hope you weren't expecting a big announcement! The many fans attending in costume and the costume contest. Panels on World of Warcraft's user interface, the game's classes, the game's art, and the arena PvP tournament. Diablo 3 news ruled the day, with the announcement of a new class (the wizard), plenty of wizard info in their class panel, new screenshots & cinematic, gameplay video, and hands-on gameplay. The news that StarCraft 2 was being released as a trilogy (with one game for the Terran campaign, one game for the Zerg campaign, and one game for the Protoss campaign) left some people cold, but we've got to say the gameplay Blizzard is showing off still looks incredible. Stay tuned for more news from Blizzneyland... er, BlizzCon... throughout the day. %Gallery-34238%

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

WWI08: Lore and art in Diablo 3

At Blizzard's recent Worldwide Invitational, Diablo 3's World Designer Leonard Boyarsky and Art Director Brian Morrisroe got on stage in front of a crowd hungry for details on Blizzard's latest project to talk about combining art and lore to expand the world give the player a deeper and more engaging experience. Diablo is a unique fantasy universe in that instead of having Dwarves and Elves, it has Angels and Demons. The game's setting makes it a dark fantasy environment that the previous games had only scratched the surface of.%Gallery-26348%

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

WWI08: Lore and art in Diablo 3 (Part 2 - Q&A)

Q&A with Leo and Brian Q: In the end of Diablo 2 we went to hell, killed him, smashed his Soulstone and essence of him, Bael, Maphesto ... how do we justify him coming back? Leo: You don't know for sure that Diablo is coming back. [Ed: ... !] We don't want to divulge too much of the story, we just want to say that it will be entertaining when you come to it. Q: In previous game you had quests to achieve to get, say the Horadric Cube. Will there be similar quests? Will we be able to get the Horadric Cube again? Leo: The way the process works is we look into the story, look into the lore, and we want that to drive the gameplay and drive the quests. I can say there will be quests related to lore. In Diablo 2 they didn't just set out to say "let's make this great cube," it came out of the design process.%Gallery-26348%

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Joystiq chats with Jay Wilson on Diablo 3

click to embiggen var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/pc_games/Diablo_3_s_Jay_Wilson_talks_Deckard_Cain_cows_co_op'; The buzz here at the Paris Expo Porte de Versailles is all about Diablo 3. When will we have a playable demo? When can we expect a release? Blizzard, of course, isn't willing to commit to a date other than their standard "when it's done" answer: What classes are going to be available? Blizzard's answer: we're not ready to talk about that. Will there be a cow level? Blizzard's answer... well, more on that later. Joystiq had a chance to catch up with Diablo 3's lead designer Jay Wilson (whom you may know from his work on a little game called Dawn of War) and pick his brain about how he got on the Diablo 3 project, what's in store for Battle.net, and the secret cow level.%Gallery-26348%

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Blizzard introduces Diablo 3

click to enter gallery var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Blizzard_introduces_Diablo_3'; Joystiq will make any sacrifice to bring you the latest news -- even if it means flying to Paris, France in order to attend Blizzard Entertainment's Worldwide Invitational. Only seconds ago we were shown a cinematic from Blizzard's newest game: Diablo 3. We're currently being shown a live demo of the game (which we're reminded is a work in progress) by lead designer Jay Wilson. The look and feel of the game -- though graphically updated from its aging sibling -- looks a lot like the dungeon crawls we all know and love from the original series. We're promised more loot, more quests (and some old friends like Deckard Cain), and new environments. Classes demo'd include the familiar Barbarian and the brand new Witch Doctor (a master of disease and fire who will control pets). Says Wilson, the game is "primarily cooperative" and it will be quick and easy to form groups over Battle.net. Sorry, folks who were expecting an MMO, but it sounds like Diablo 3 will continue in the tried-and-true Diablo format.Update: Blizzard's European site is now live with the cinematic teaser and gameplay footage for your perusal!%Gallery-26340%

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PC Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

The best of WoW Insider: January 15 - 22, 2008

Having trouble keeping up with all of the latest from Blizzard's mega-MMO, World of Warcraft? Joystiq's friends at WoW Insider are here to keep you up to date on the latest. This week, we've had bug-fix patch 2.3.3 hit the test realms and, today, the live realms. We also celebrated the birthday of the game's Burning Crusade expansion (happy first birthday, BC!) and have had our weekly dose of forum drama fufilled by Blizzard's removal of the ghost wolf pet. For more of the week's most interesting stories from the world... of Warcraft, read on!

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PC Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

The best of WoW Insider: January 8 - 15, 2008

Want to know the latest news from MMO World of Warcraft? Joystiq's sister-site WoW Insider has you covered! This week, conversation of the recently-released patch 2.3.2 has died out as news of upcoming patch 2.4 has been released (in Blizzard's first podcast). Blizzard tells us that they don't plan to release a patch 2.5, which suggests this may be the last patch before the Wrath of the Lich King expansion (launching no-one-knows-when). Finally, recent changes to PvP battleground Alterac Valley (in an ongoing effort to prevent players from sitting AFK in the battleground while reaping the benefits of everyone else's efforts) has shaken up the community as debate rages over whether it will actually improve the PvP situation.For the top stories of the week, read on!

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Buying Guides

Buying Guides By Elizabeth Harper

The Best of WoW Insider: January 1 - 8, 2008

As a way to ring in 2008, WoW Insider is taking a look back at all the things 2007 brought to the World of Warcraft. Interested in seeing where the game has gone in the last year? We've got in-depth looks at 2007 for Paladins, Priests, Warlocks, Warriors, Arena PvP, and crafting -- with more to come through the next week! For the rest of the week in Warcraft... Reader WoWspace of the Week: Shaard I have enjoyed reading about all of the other places that people enjoy the same game as I do and I would like to let them enjoy mine as well. I will start with the basics...15 Minutes of Fame: Noor the Pacifist...and Noor the pacifist, who levels without intentionally killing anything. Now, this isn't the first time we've heard of players who've given this idea a whirl, but Noor seem to have the gumption and persistence to make it to the top of the XP tree.Stretching yourself too thinBut sometimes I have a problem, in that everyone I know has the same work and play schedule, and as a result, they want me to tank or heal or DPS for them at the same time. I don't know about you, but I can't tank Heroic Shattered Halls for my wife while DPSing in Heroic Ramparts for my friends.

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PC Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Last Week in Warcraft: December 4 - 11, 2007

Over at WoW Insider we understand how hard it is to keep up with all of the news from your favorite virtual worlds, and we're here to help by bringing you all of the past week's news and info from the World of Warcraft in convenient round-up format. There's even something here for the non-WoW players in the audience! We can argue the entertainment value of a boy mimicking WoW's feign death ability to escape a moose attack or Jean-Claude Van Damme staring in the latest WoW commercial as a Troll Mage? News WoW Insider goes hands-on with Dell's new Warcraft-themed XPS M1730 laptop. World of Warcraft is coming to Russia with its latest language localization. New details arrive on this year's Winters' Veil celebration. Do the costs of the Dell's WoW laptop add up in the end? Bring your character to life with a 3d replica from FigurePrints (for a mere $100!).

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PC Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Last week in Warcraft: November 13th - November 20th

Patch 2.3 hit the live realms in World of Warcraft last week, which means a flurry of activity on Joystiq's sister site WoW Insider. And if you're interested in a bit of free game-time, don't forget to check out our Caption This contest! So what's going on with the latest patch from Blizzard? We're here to tell you all about it.Patch 2.3 Ring in the new patch by saying goodbye to patch 2.2. Read up on the 2.3 changes by reading the full 2.3 patch notes or check out our highlights: Pre-60 dungeons have been tweaked for level and drops: read Eliah's 2.3 dungeon review. 2.3 on the live realms doesn't quite match 2.3 on the test realms! Also, the undocumented patch notes. For those of you who haven't made it out there yet, WoW Insider reports live from the new raid dungeon, Zul'Aman. Check out the game's coolest epic mount, the engineer-crafted Turbo-Charged Flying Machine. (Complete with hula girl!) A change in how the game servers communicate with the game client causes some problems for players who mash their buttons. New daily quests have arrived! We've got your guide to daily battleground quests and are already wondering if the daily dungeon quests are repetitive. And, of course, there are bugs: Shamans get access to free tier 6 armor -- until Blizzard caught them, that is. Hunter chaos! Hunters can no longer feign death & drink or double trap. Beyond patch 2.3 Blizzard plans soloing improvements for protection warriors and paladins. World of Warcraft hits 9.3 million players -- is there anywhere to go but up? Blizzard claims patch 2.4 will be hitting the test realms this year.

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PC Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Last week in Warcraft: November 4th - November 10th

Welcome to another weekend on Joystiq! Your local WoW Insiders are here to bring you up to date on everything happening in their world of Warcraft. For those of you not in the know, patch 2.3 is coming to WoW next week and bringing a lot of changes with it, including new raid dungeon Zul'Aman. For the rest of the details of the week, keep reading!News Diminishing returns on silence effects revertedAfter a loud revolt on the forums, Blizzard reverts the change to slience effects. Patch 2.3 coming this Tuesday!Are you prepared? <Dude Wheres My Shaman>A new guild on Auchindoun Horde protests Shaman issues. Aimed Shot changes (again)A half second cast time reduction causes controversy Mage buffs on the horizonThey aren't all making 2.3, but expect more for mages in 2.3.X or 2.4. Discussion All the World's a StageWhere should we draw the line on ERP? Unconventional group makeupWhat unconventional groups have worked for you? If I knew then what I know now...What would you do differently if you started WoW over again? Nobody's perfectWhat's your biggest WoW mistake? The Light and How to Swing ItA field guide to bad paladins. Your server's [item]Does your server have its own obsession item? Growing confidenceTaking steps towards mastering your class.

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PC Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Last Week in Warcraft: October 27th - November 3rd

Haven't made it into Azeroth this week? Well, never fear, because Joystiq's own WoW Insider is here to help you get up to date on all of the latest in World of Warcraft news. So without further ado, here's everything from the last seven days from Stormwind to Silvermoon:News Will twinks become gods in patch 2.3?In patch 2.3, a change to low-level dungeon gear makes twinks even more powerful. Hardware sound acceleration returns for patch 2.3Hardware sound acceleration returns! First Chinese Illidan killThough the expansion didn't hit China until September, they've already taken down the game's hardest boss. Will name changes help the ninjas?With character name changes now available, we've got to wonder whether blacklisted ninjas will get the most benefit. The leveling dilemmaWith patch 2.3 scheduled to improve the leveling curve, should you be leveling now or wait for later? Discussion The 1v1 who-pwns-who matrixWe explore the details behind class balance (and imbalance) in PvP Money, money, money by the poundHow do you make your cash in-game? Women in raidsWhat you need to know about the gender division in World of Warcraft raids. Azeroth InterruptedHow do you tell your friends about your WoW habit? World of CarebearcraftAre PvP realms becoming infested by carebears? Encrypted TextHow to be evil. Know Your LoreEverything you need to know about Uther the Lightbringer. Ask WoW InsiderIs there a class or spec viable for both PvE and PvP? Disastrous AFKsWhat's your worst AFK story? What's in a name?Where did you get your name? Media Drugs: My Anti-World of WarcraftNo explanation required. /sillyAnything else would be uncivilized. Roberto's Hallow's End SpecialWrap up your Hallow's End with a special message from everyone's favorite Murloc. The Guild: Episode 4Our friends at The Guild finally put faces to names.

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PC Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Last Week in Warcraft: October 20th - October 27th

Another week has passed, which means it's time for Joystiq's MMO-loving sister-site WoW Insider to bring you a run down of the latest happenings within the World of Warcraft.News Heroic dungeon keys no longer require revered reputationThe grind required to get your heroic keys has been shortened -- instead of requiring revered reputation, they will only require honored reputation. Patch 2.4 is nearly ready for testingThough patch 2.3 is still on the test realms, apparently patch 2.4 is right around the corner. The latest info on guild banksGuild banks have hit the test realms and WoW Insider has all the details. Blizzard implements paid name changesFor a mere $10, you will now be able to change your characters' name. How much extra XP?With community help, Tekkub is compiling the specifics of the XP changes in patch 2.3. Hunter dead zone not quite deadThough it has shrunk significantly, the Hunter dead zone will live on in patch 2.3. Discussion Eyonix on Hallow's End epicsWhat's the real reason players are upset about the epic loot drops from the Headless Horseman? The History of the World (of Warcraft)When I first started playing, we had to walk uphill in the snow to get to our class trainers. The Great Spirit DebateWoW Insider's Priest staff debates the usefulness of Spirit. Officer's Quarters: ReinforcementsScott talks about how to grow your guild. Should there be tanks in World of Warcraft?Matt asks the tough question: When everyone wants to DPS, should we have tanks? Reviving the PUGsCan the problems with in-game pick-up groups be fixed? Do you hate Rogues?Matt considers the many reasons to love -- and hate -- Rogues. Media Episode 8 of the WoW Insider Show available for downloadListen to Elizabeth, Krystalle, and Mark discuss everything about World of Warcraft The Guild: Gag ReelA little something to tide us over while we wait on the next installment of everyone's favorite guild drama. Fun with Brewfest GogglesIf you aren't aware of the fun you can have with the Brewfest Goggles, this gallery will give you some idea. World of What?As proof that World of Warcraft is a pop culture phenomenon, I offer this case on Judge Judy. How I Met Your DraeneiWorld of Warcraft gets a mention in the sitcom How I Met Your Mother. Azerothian Supervillains, Episode 4Here we see our anti-heroes working on plans to kidnap Thrall. /sillyThis week, we meet a Shaman... Unlimited Escapism, Volume 0Baron Soosdon brings us another episode of his surreal machinima series. Still haven't had enough World of Warcraft? Then hop over to WoW Insider for every last detail on what's happening in the World of Warcraft today!

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PC Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Last week in Warcraft: October 13th - October 20th

For those of you not following all of the news from Azeroth, Joystiq's sister-site WoW Insider is here to catch you up on everything that's happened in the World of Warcraft this week, broken into convenient, bite-sized links. News Hallow's End hits the live realms.We guide you through the new quests and events. Engineers get their own flying mount.But everything has a cost -- we go over the materials needed. Season 3 Arena gear.Season 3 will begin in patch 2.3, but we already know what to expect from the test realms. Season 1 Arena gear available for honor points.When Season 3 starts, the Season 1 gear will move to honor vendors. Epic gear for mid-level dungeons.Blizzard adds new itemization for mid-level players working their way up the ranks. The new Dustwallow Marsh.A preview of the new mid-level zone coming in patch 2.3. Retribution Paladins get threat reduction.In patch 2.3 the Retribution paladins get everything they've asked for. Everything you want to know about patch 2.3.Sure, we've highlighted some of the big announcements this week -- but for those of you who need to know everything, this is where to look. Discussion What makes a casual player?What the average MMO-player thinks of as "casual" may not be. Want to rid the world of gold farmers?Blizzard could get rid of gold farmers -- the question is how much inconvenience would you put up with to see it done. Tank, heal, and DPS!Should classes get to do all three? How much should death matter?Eric discusses improving the game by implementing permanent death. The race to 70.Why is everyone in such a hurry? Still haven't gotten your World of Warcraft fix? Check out our features from the last week or join us this afternoon for our live podcast -- just tune your browser to WoW Radio at 3:30 PM EST or 8:30 PM GMT to listen in!

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Last week in Warcraft: October 6th - Oct 12th

Joystiq's MMO-addled sister site WoW Insider strives to bring you the most up-to-date news and information on the World of Warcraft every day. But for those of you who don't stop by on a daily basis, we've broken down the most interesting and exciting topics of the past week into bite-sized pieces for easier digestion. Don't play World of Warcraft? Never fear -- we'll return you to your regularly scheduled Joystiq programming right after this message. Noncombat companions and youThey won't help you fight, but do you have a favorite noncombat pet? Four wheels of fury!Toyota meets World of Warcraft Brewfest screenshotsSee the Brewfest without that pesky hangover All the World's a StageDavid talks about how to give your RP character Using WoW to teach children valuesRobin discusses how you can use WoW to teach your kids Leveling improvements for patch 2.3Want to catch up to your friends in Outland? Patch 2.3 is going to help you out. /silly: Time for Plan BWoW Insider's own comic goes over some of the problems with pets Patch 2.2.3 is live!Patch 2.2.3 hits the live realms with a handful of bug fixes WoW Insider interviews Hugh Hancock and Johnnie IngramMike chats with the two authors of Machinima for Dummies Do pricy mounts support goldsellers?If Blizzard wants goldsellers to go away, should they try to remove the reasons we need the gold? What's the most boring class?We all have our favorite classes -- but what about our least favorite classes? The return of Varian WrynnIs Varian Wrynn, the King of Stormwind, coming back to us? Patch 2.3 on the PTRsIt's the biggest patch yet! Surprises in Patch 2.3We knew a lot about the patch before it hit the PTRs, but there were still some surprises!

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Reviews

Reviews By Elizabeth Harper

Dragon*Con impressions: Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures

Funcom was at this year's Dragon*Con in force with demos of their upcoming MMO Age of Conan: Hyborian Adventures. While the game isn't slated for release until March 2008 (we hope), the game Funcom showed us looked pretty slick -- though they're still tight-lipped on the feat system (that would be "talent trees" for you World of Warcraft-ers) and the "spell weaving" system the magic users will have access to. We did, however, get a good look at the gameplay as well as a look at the game's female models. For those of you who have to see these things for yourself, Funcom is accepting applications for beta-testers, but for full details on what we saw at Funcom's demo, keep reading! %Gallery-6912%

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Xfire shows off their latest Xstatics

If you're anything like us, you may not be aware of what Xfire does besides run stellar machinima contests or host interesting discussions in their debate club. However, they also produce a gaming-oriented IM client that lets you see what games your friends are playing, chat with them in or out of game, and join them in whatever game they might be playing. This little application allows Xfire to compile some interesting data about the games people are playing and – while their data doesn't include every last gamer – with over 8 million users in 700 different games, they have a broad sampling size. Read on for a breakdown of the details or check out Xfire's Xstatics site.

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Austin GDC: Live at the Minho Kim keynote

If you haven't heard of Minho Kim, I'll forgive you -- I hadn't heard of him either until the name showed up in the list of keynote presentations at the Austin Game Developers Conference. Kim is Nexon America's director of game operations, and while Nexon hasn't made a big impact in North American markets, their free-to-play, micro-transaction driven online games (the best known of which is probably MapleStory) are a hit in Asia and Europe. Kim's keynote launches the final day of the conference with a discussion of micro-transactions. Joystiq is on-site waiting for festivities to begin, so keep reading for a play-by-play.

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Austin GDC: Live at the Hiromichi Tanaka keynote

Hiromichi Tanaka is the executive officer of Square Enix and the producer of company's entry into the MMO market, Final Fantasy XI. This morning at the Austin Game Developer's Conference he's going to be talking to us about the challenges of cross-platform design with a design post-mortum of Final Fantasy XI.11:06 AM CST: We were supposed to get started at 11AM CST, but the event seems to be running fashionably late.11:08 AM CST: Introducing Hiromichi Tanaka speaking on Launching Final Fantasy XI on Multiple Platforms.

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Austin GDC: Live at the Sulka Haro keynote

Never heard of Sulka Haro? Then you must not have tried Sulake Corporation's casual online game, Habbo. Sulka Haro is Sulake's lead designer and he's going to be kicking off day two at the Austin Game Developer's Conference by talking to us about designing games to support open-ended play and end-user creativity.9:29 AM CST: The keynote is scheduled for 9:30, and people are slowly filtering into the conference room.9:34 AM CST: Introducing Haro to applause.

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News

News By Elizabeth Harper

AGC: Out on the show floor

Elizabeth Harper is covering the MMO-heavy Austin Game Conference for Joystiq and our WoW-obsessed friends at WoW Insider.Though Thursday was the second day of the conference, it was the first day for the show floor to be open. As many game developers are here recruiting for jobs (including Bioware, Blizzard, LucasArts, and Perpetual -- among others!), rather than selling a product, there's no ground-breaking new game announcements. But there's a lot of interesting things happening out there, and to see what I came across during my adventures on the convention floor, read on!

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Michael Dell at the Austin Game Conference

Elizabeth Harper is covering the MMO-heavy Austin Game Conference for Joystiq and our WoW-obsessed friends at WoW Insider.Michael Dell stopped by the Austin Game Conference briefly on Thursday afternoon for what the day's schedule described as a "fireside chat." And after sitting through the chat, I have one important question -- where was the fire? Well, while I sit here and grumble about false advertising, you can read on to find out some of the topics Dell touched on in this Q&A session -- which focused on the PC's place in the gaming industry, and why you should buy a PC instead of a console.

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Jon Landau at the Austin Game Conference

Elizabeth Harper is covering the MMO-heavy Austin Game Conference for Joystiq and our WoW-obsessed friends at WoW Insider.What's well-known film producer Jon Landau doing at a game conference? I'm glad you asked, because I have the answers -- or at least, Landau did during his keynote today. Gaming, Landau explained, is an increasingly important part of the entertainment industry. And there's a lot in common with a good game and a good film -- they're both about creating compelling characters and stories, told in an equally compelling setting. The difference is that a film tells a single story, while a game (specifically an MMO) can tell countless stories. So read on for more on his morning keynote.

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Gaming By Elizabeth Harper

Rob Pardo's keynote at the Austin Game Conference

Elizabeth Harper is covering the MMO-heavy Austin Game Conference for Joystiq and our WoW-obsessed friends at WoW Insider.Haven't heard of Rob Pardo? Well, you might want to familiarize yourself with him. Not only is he Blizzard's Vice President of Game Development, but he recently was put on Time Magazine's list of the top 100 people, which points out that Pardo didn't invent the MMO, he just perfected it.So Wednesday morning, when the Austin Game Conference started out with a keynote from Mr. Pardo on the game design philosophy behind World of Warcraft, it wasn't to be missed. Read on for the highlights of the keynote.

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